Question on Piano Tuning

[atticus]

Hi all,

I had my piano tuned earlier in the week by a new technician.  The new guy worked on the piano for over two hours.  This was kind of alarming to me since the piano was only a little out of tune (it had been tuned last in July).  After he finished, the piano sounds brighter and louder (maybe even harsher).  Is it possible to change the character of the piano through a tuning or am I just paranoid?

I had always been happy with the tuning in the past when I had my regular tech.

Thanks,
atticus

[netzow]

I need to preface what I'm saying stating that I'm no expert, only a Piano Technology Student.

That being said my understanding of the situation is this. Often when the customer is not satisfied with the tone of the piano after a tuning it has nothing to do with the tuning. What I have heard said is that it is 90 percent of the time the voicing of the hammers which is the problem not the tuning. That being said I think it is possible that the tone and volume of the piano could be changed by a simple tuning. However more likely the Technician may have done something else such as file the hammers which could very easily create the results you describe.  Hope this Helps.

[richard black]

Is it possible to change the character of the piano through a tuning or am I just paranoid?

Yes, it is. It is also possible to change it by doing a little routine maintenance to the hammers and mechanism - good tuners do this once in a while, though nine times out of ten the owner didn't realise it was necessary because, living with an instrument, you don't tend to notice when things are going a bit off.

What always surprises me, even after all these years, is how much the apparent _feel_ of my piano is changed by a good tune and spruce-up.

[atticus]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the responses.  The tech definitely didn't touch the hammers although my regular guy always does - maybe that's why I've been happier in the past? 

The enitre piano, especially the middle register, seems sharper.  Up until now,  only my regular guy had ever tuned the piano.  I didn't realize that I could hear a difference in the piano depending on the tech...I don't think I'll be able to get used to it...will they think I'm a nut if I ask the regular guy to come out and re-tune it?

Thanks,
atticus

[netzow]

The results describe could come from a style of tuning which stretches the octaves more in the treble hence making it louder and brighter.
It doesn't matter if they think your a nut. You are the customer you are right and if you aren't happy with a job you have every right to ask for it to be done to your satesfaction.

[blackstone]

This may not be the case in your situation, but I find that some customers notice voicing / tone issues after the tuning because it's been out of tune for a while and they weren't using it much.  Others find that when the piano was out of tune it was distracting enough that they didn't notice the voicing issues until after the tuning.  In either case, it's a situation that already existed that the tuning didn't affect, but wasn't noticed by the customer until after the piano was tuned.

Colin McCullough
visit my piano tuning tutorial at:
www.blackstonepiano.com/tutorial/tutorial.htm

[allthumbs]

Colin McCullough
visit my piano tuning tutorial at:
www.blackstonepiano.com/tutorial/tutorial.htm

On a side note, thanks for writing your tutorial and posting it. I've found it both interesting and informative.


Cheers, 

allthumbs